December 16: what’s happened to manners?

When I was young, and someone didn’t want you smoking near them (I smoke a pipe) they’d ask politely: “Would you mind not smoking near me?” no problem, you’d put it out.

These days, however, people are downright bloody rude! no manners, no polite request, just damned rude remarks.

What has happened to manners? Has the world forgotten what they are? Same with kids sitting on a bus when an elderly or pregnant person was standing: you’d get up and give them your seat. I worked as a bus-driver for two years, and found in that time that the only way to get a kid to give up their seat was to say in front of the whole bus: “Get up!” It never occurred to them that there was somebody in need of a seat standing near them. Hell! what are the parents teaching them? It sure ain’t manners!